Spring Migration

Eastern Phoebe

It's that time of year when we can hardly wait to shed our winter coats and bask in the sunshine.
I also love the smell of the earth as she gets washed in Spring rains, the scent of new growth popping up and the buds beginning to swell on the trees. There is a renewed energy in the air as we get outdoors to absorb the sights, smells and sounds of Spring.

And on birding blogs I'm sure you are reading about birds returning to their Summer grounds and some have already begun to incubate their eggs like our Great Horned Owl on the park. Presque Isle is considered one of the major stop overs for many birds migrating North before crossing the Great Lakes. Last Friday after work I treated myself to some trail walking and had a lifer for me. I was on B trail when I came across some Eastern Phoebes. Then Saturday morning began our bird class with Jerry McWilliams. Michele and I consider Jerry our guru of birds. Jerry is also conducting Hawk Watches at the TREC in the parking lot from about 10:00 to 3:00. Stop by and check out the Hawk migration with Jerry. We will have more on the big Hawk Watch coming up in April.

Eastern Phoebe

For the next 8 weeks I will present our list of birds we see each week in class or otherwise. There is a link to a map of the park in our top navigation bar. This is a pdf file you can download and print if you wish. The list will indicate where the birds were sited and now you can find the area on the map.
Note: The waterfowl migrating through will be leaving soon so if you live nearby get out soon before they are gone.
Here is our class list:
Canada Goose—several at various sites
Gadwall—a pair in Niagara Pond
American Wigeon—a pair in Horseshoe Pond
American Black Duck—a pair flying out of Niagara Pond
Mallard—a few pairs at various sites
Northern Shoveler—at least a couple of males in Niagara Pond
Green-winged Teal—brief looks at a male in Niagara Pond
Canvasback—several in Thompson Bay
Redhead—several in Thompson Bay
Ring-necked Duck—many in Niagara Pond
Greater Scaup—several off Niagara boat launch and in Thompson Bay
Lesser Scaup—most common duck on the park, most were in Thompson Bay and Niagara Pond
Bufflehead—a few at various sites
Common Goldeneye—several off Niagara boat launch
Hooded Merganser—a few in Thompson Bay and Horseshoe Pond
Red-breasted Merganser--a few off Niagara boat launch
Wild Turkey—one at beach 11
Horned Grebe—one in Marina Bay
Great Blue Heron—one or two off beach 11 and in Niagara Pond
Bald Eagle—one adult over Misery Bay and later Michele, Julie and I saw one fly over Sommerheim across from Vista 1
American Coot—many off the second parking lot and in Misery Bay
Killdeer—a few at various sites
Bonaparte’s Gull—25 or so over Misery Bay and about 15 over the road near the eagles nest
Ring-billed Gull—several flying overhead
Herring Gull—several flying overhead
Mourning Dove—a couple over Pine Tree Trail
Great Horned Owl—one on the nest near Duck Pond Trail
Downy Woodpecker—a few doing the territorial drumming
Hairy Woodpecker—one at Thompson Circle
Northern Flicker—at least three at various sites
Eastern Phoebe—a couple on B-trail and Pine Tree Trail
Blue Jay—a few along Pine Tree Trail
Wood Duck—two flying over Thompson Bay

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

If there was ever a contest for the cutest bird ever, this bird would definitely be in the running! Presque Isle is a stop over for the occasional saw-whet owl in late March and early April. The saw-whet is one of the smallest owls in North America (length 8"; wing span 17" weight 3 oz.) and definitely the smallest owl to migrate through Presque Isle. The saw-whet is reclusive by nature and is strictly nocturnal on breeding grounds making it somewhat difficult to research. There are specialized monitoring operations in the Great Lakes Region which is a major passage for the migrating owls. One such operation is at Allegany State Park where banding is done in the fall. For more information about saw-whets including some wonderful pictures, visit Monarch's Nature Blog and do a search for saw-whet owls.

The owl in the picture above was spotted by Jerry McWilliams on March 26, 2009. Jerry conducts a bird identification class in the spring and occasionally in the fall on PISP. He scouts out the areas on the park that the saw-whets frequent and sounds the e-mail alert for all in his class to meet him at the park at a designated time in hopes the owl will have stayed put. Jerry has seen more saw-whets on the park than most and knows to what trees they tend to return. No one can be sure if the same owl returns to the same tree each year or if it is something special about the tree that attracts the species in general. The most saw-whets Jerry has seen on the park in a season is nine. Wouldn't it be great if this year was a record-breaker!

I took this photo last spring along Fry's Landing

Below is my first attempt with uploading video. Next time I'll use a tripod!

Fish Tales

I was starting to get cabin fever the week before Spring's arrival and really needed a break from the dinning room makeover. So when Michele asked if I wanted to join her at Presque Isle I raised my hand and said "yes"! We decided to hook up at the entrance by Sara's campground. The campground is nestled along the wooded area at the base of the bluff as you enter the peninsula. In front of the camp ground is a coffee shop and the summertime favorite, Sarah's Diner. I have never ventured back to the campground till that day while waiting for Michele to arrive. As I got closer to the fence and the camp sites I heard water splashing. I was surprised to find a small creek that runs through the grounds which feeds into the bay. Now, some Erieites are probably giggling by now knowing that the creek was there. Well, you will laugh even more to learn that what was making the splashing sound were fish swimming up stream.
I thought "oh wow, how cool is that". I had no idea what kind of fish they were. So when Michele arrived I told her about the creek and what I thought were Salmon. After all, didn't everybody relate to fish swimming up stream being Salmon? Besides they had this beautiful pink rainbow stripe on their sides.

We photographed them as best we could since neither of us had a polarizing filter with us. A gentleman drove by and stopped to chat with us. He was telling us how great it was to see the fish back in the stream after years of absence. I think he assumed I knew what kind of fish they were since he was familiar with the campground and that particular area.

After arriving home later in the day I was all excited to tell my husband of our find since he is an avid fly fisherman. You would think that after all these years with him fishing I would know more, but I didn't. He catches and releases his fish, so I never get to see them, and I don't have any interest in fishing. Although he didn't know about the stream he did know what kind of fish they were and he kind of laughed at me thinking they were Salmon. So when he told me they were Steelhead I pursued him with more questions and this is what I learned.

Steelhead are a sea trout introduced to the Great Lakes back in the 60's and early 70's as a game fish. They were introduced after the Coho Salmon because the Salmon were not reproducing as well as expected. Although they are a sea dwelling trout they did adapt to our fresh water lake. Today there is a small hatchery along the Bayfront to keep the Steelhead stocked. The fingerlings are released in the streams so their "little brains", as my husband says, will think this is home and return as adults. In the spring they swim out into the lake and after maturation will return in the fall to mate and lay eggs. While in the lake they are silver in color, but after several weeks in the streams they revert back to their rainbow coloration.

My husband doesn't fish for Steelhead because he would rather fish in streams like Oil Creek or small mountain streams for brook trout which are the only trout native to the Eastern US. Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout were also introduced to this area for game fishing.

Hopefully I have my facts straight and if you have any info you wish to share on Steelhead or stories please share them in the comments section.

For more information on fishing Presque Isle try the links below.
Identification and trout families
PA Fish and Boat Commission: Steelhead
PA Steelhead Association
Fish Erie
Come Fish Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay

Welcome to Presque Isle, Naturally

Welcome to the debut of Presque Isle, Naturally, a blog dedicated to sharing the magnificent natural wonders that Presque Isle State Park (PISP) has to offer. Located in Erie, Pennsylvania, Presque Isle has been described by renowned naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator Roger Tory Peterson, as "the star of Pennsylvania". We, Toni and Michele, are very excited to be bringing you this blog about one of our favorite places, especially at this wonderful time of year. Yes, Presque Isle is about to burst at her shores with the splendid sights, sounds & smells of spring and we can't wait! Some of the earliest harbingers of spring, including the red-winged blackbird and turkey vulture, have already arrived at Presque Isle. My good friend, Julie, told me about a recent e-mail she sent to Jerry McWilliams, birding guru and author of several books, including, The Birds of Pennsylvania. She was telling him of some of her recent bird sightings and titled her post "The Air is Vibrating!" This perfectly describes the vibrant excitement that many of us are feeling now that spring is finally in the air! It really is palpable!

An immature bald eagle soaring near Perry Monument!Momma killdeer and one of her chicks-Beach 10 parking area.
The handsome black-crowned night heron-Canoe Portage TrailAn eastern screech owl perched along Duck Pond Trail.

A flock of immature sanderlings along beach 11.

Through Presque Isle, Naturally, we will bring you stories, photos, paintings and all sorts of information about Presque Isle. We also plan to enlist some of the many knowledgeable Presque Isle-ophiles to share why they are passionate about Presque Isle. Although primarily devoted to Presque Isle, we may at times offer information about special places and events of local interest. So, sit back, relax and enjoy; better yet, come on out to Presque Isle, you won't be sorry you did!Think you know a little bit about Presque Isle? Test your knowledge by completing the quiz on the left hand side of the blog. We'll post the correct answer when the quiz is closed out as well as much more information about the hairy puccoon so...stay tuned!!

Please let us know what you think of the blog and anything you might like to see in future posts by commenting below. Interested in being a guest contributor? Contact Toni or Michele, we look forward to hearing from you!